On this day in history – Nov. 17

1933 – Groucho and Harpo Marx star in the film “Duck Soup” directed by Leo McCarey is released in the United States.

1959 – Giants’ slugger Willie McCovey wins National League Rookie of Year.

1970 – Russia lands Lunokhod 1 unmanned remote-controlled vehicle on Moon.

1973 – U. S. President Richard Nixon tells American public “People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.”

1980 – John Lennon releases “Double Fantasy” album in United Kingdom.

1993 – U.S. House of Representatives approve North American Free Trade Agreement.

2006 – Official naming of element 111, Roentgenium (Rg) in the periodic table of elements.

2008 – The “Twilight” movie, based on the book by Stephenie Meyer, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattison, premieres in Los Angeles.

2014 – The Church of England adopts legislation enabling the appointment of female bishops.

Nov. 17 Celebrity Birthdays

1925 – Rock Hudson was deemed as one of Hollywood’s most elite and beautiful actors. He has starred in a few romantic comedies with Doris Day such as “Pillow Talk” and “Lover Come Back” (1961). Hudson passed away in 1985 of AIDS. He was 60 years old.

1942 – Martin Scorsese is an acclaimed film director that focuses heavily on the world of crime. He has worked with film stars such as Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio. He won his first Academy Award for Best Director for “The Departed” (2006) having been nominated in that role, five times prior.

1944 – Danny Devito is a New Jersey native and has acted since the 1970s. He is an Emmy and Golden Globe recipient for the television series “Taxi” (1978-1983). He has been married to “Cheers” (1982-1993) actress Rhea Pearlman since 1982 and he stars in the television series “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (2006- 2015).

1960 – RuPaul is a wellknown drag queen, musician and actor and actress. He is the TV host of VH1’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and has been featured in films including “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar” (1995) and “But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999).

1971 – David Ramsey is an American actor who featured on Showtime’s television series “Dexter” from 2008-2009 as Anton Briggs. Ramsey stars as John Diggle in The CW show “Arrow” (2012). He is also an accomplished martial artist, holding a black belt in a variety of fighting disciplines.